Another World Series. Another year older and deeper in debt. And a world anther year closer to an extinction event. And another year with alt-right closer to taking over the world
Congrats to the Astros. They remind me much of the Boston Red Sox team of 2018 that could beat you in so many ways: homer you to death, single and double you to death, steal you to death. Shut you down with quality starting pitching, shut your down with great with relief pitching. The big difference between this Astros team and that Red Sox team is that they are even better than that Red Sox team, and that this organization sees the long haul much better than the Red Sox organization did at the time. Dave Dombrowski built us one hell of a team leading into 2018, but in the words of Texan Kris Kristofferson, he “traded in tomorrow for today.” Houston has it right in terms of the long game, and player development, and I hope my Red Sox have it right under the current GM.
The Yankees were eliminated earlier, and that is good news for me. Aside from my visceral New England hated for the Yankee organization, and the fact they co-opted a noble term – Yankee – that once was synonymous with being a New Englander, I see them as the ultimate red state organization in one of the bluest cities you’d find. Of course one could say much the same about the Red Sox in the 20th, granted, the red/blue paradigm did not yet exist. But the ghost of Tom Yawkey was exorcised decades ago from the Red Sox organization
My sympathies have been with the Astros. Yeah, Philadelphia is in a swing state that leans blue, and Houston is in a state that is deep red. But honestly, I think I’d like living in Houston more than I would Philly. OK, cheese steaks, but you can have them anywhere. But Houston strikes me a more dynamic place to live than Philly. Why am I politicizing this? Because everything is politicized thanks to the repubs.
I’m writing this ahead of time. It’s top of the 8th, with the assumption this will be the last game.
I’m a long time baseball fan who hasn’t gotten that excited about baseball this year, or for that matter sports. That fact that the owners and players came close to pissing this season away before it happened might be part of the problem. My Red Sox getting off to a bad start, then getting hot for a few weeks and then muddling into mediocrity is a downer. Also, worried about what the autocrats are planning for the world democracies, including, and especially the US, have my intentions more than sports.
It’s sad to see less interest in baseball over the years. In this age of instant gratification, so many fans want to see something big happening by the moment, and lots of explosive action. Every baseball game is a story of its own. Every baseball game is unique. You can watch a baseball game and see something you’ve never seen before. Much of the same can be said for American football. But basketball, hockey, and the game we call soccer here is the same movie seen again and again. Don’t get me wrong. I can enjoy basketball, hockey and soccer, but they just don’t get my excited like my big two sports.
Diary is about the World Series, but it’s open to anything baseball. History of the game, rules changes, competitive balance, African-Americans having their lowest representation in decades, who should be in the Hall of Fame, etc.
